30 August 2023
As a day trader, you will likely have heard about the ability to trade markets literally 24/7 on a global basis. Whether this is feasible in the short-term, let alone the medium to long term, without impacting your day trading returns, is debatable. However, here we go!
London
As a UK-based company, we will start with the London Stock Exchange, where the leading indices are the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 250. The UK market opens at 8 AM and closes at 4:30 PM, providing one of the world's busiest and most extensive stock exchanges.
Trading times: 8 AM to 4:30 PM
Europe
While the EU continues to try and grab market share from London, this hasn't proven easy even after Brexit. However, the Euronext Stock Market is gaining influence and is dominated by the AEX and CAC indexes. A future target for day traders?
Trading times: 8 AM to 4:30 PM
United States of America
The US market provides a vast range of stocks, shares and commodities, dominated by the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. The leading indices for the New York Stock Exchange are the Dow Jones and the S&P 500, with the NASDAQ 100 dominating the NASDAQ market.
Trading times: 2:30 PM to 9 PM
Canada
Often overlooked as a poor cousin of the USA, Canada has a sizeable stock market known as the Toronto Stock Exchange (TMX Group). When looking at GMT, the trading hours are the same as in the USA - the S&P/TSX Composite Index dominates the Canadian market.
Trading times: 2:30 PM to 9 PM
Between the hours of 9 PM and 12 AM, there is a three-hour window of opportunity for day traders to take a rest. Then we have:-
Japan
The Japanese stock market was seen by many as the leader in the 80s and the 90s but fell by the wayside as the economy struggled. The main index in Japan is the Nikkei 225, and there are signs that the economy is starting to recover. Will day traders return?
Trading times: 12 AM to 6 AM
Hong Kong
There are two leading stock exchanges in Hong Kong; the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Shanghai exchange is dominated by the SSE composite (SSE index), with the Hong Kong Hang Seng index the more recognised index.
Trading times: 1:30 AM to 8 AM (7 AM for Shanghai exchange)
China
China has many regional stock markets, but the best-known are the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the SZSE component index. China greatly influences the global economy and dominates the Far East/APAC region.
Trading times: 1:30 AM to 7 AM
Aside from a potential three-hour window of opportunity after the US markets closed, there is minimal free time between the opening of London at 8 AM and the closing of the Hong Kong stock exchange at 8 AM. In reality, many markets offer after-hours trading, although the reliability of pricing and the spreads can vary from open market comparisons.
From a practical point of view, there is the opportunity to trade many markets across the globe on a 24-hour basis. In reality, as a day trader, you will likely have all of the trading opportunities you need between the London Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. Trading 24/7 is impractical from a sleep point of view, where tiredness can seriously impact your investment decision-making process.
To many day traders, the idea of trading 24/7, or having the ability to trade each minute you are awake, has its attractions. In reality, it is essential to stick with the markets you know, your areas of interest, such as, for example, technology, and make the most of those opportunities.
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